NEW ORLEANS | Project/Development Thread - Page 93

WesternSon · #**1841** Posted **Mar 2, 2011, 3:38 PM**

It would be so neat if they were. They could set up a Today Show style window, with the street cars running behind. Be very upscale for our size media market. And the developers would love the constant exposure. Be awesome if they could create some type of plaza or square that could hold small events.

You might try emailing WWL they might be more willing to talk.

Uptowner · #**1842** Posted **Mar 2, 2011, 5:25 PM**

Seriously, is there that much demand for drugstore chains in this area? I'm not against them, but the amount of CVS's and Walgreen's that have been built in New Orleeans and JP within the last two years seems a little ridiculous to me. There is almost literally one or the other on damn near every corner.

tennis1400 · #**1843** Posted **Mar 2, 2011, 5:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uptowner

Seriously, is there that much demand for drugstore chains in this area? I'm not against them, but the amount of CVS's and Walgreen's that have been built in New Orleeans and JP within the last two years seems a little ridiculous to me. There is almost literally one or the other on damn near every corner.

Actually there is a demand for it. I believe Manhattan has a Duane Reade on every corner.

WesternSon · #**1844** Posted **Mar 2, 2011, 6:58 PM**

In several parts of the city I am sure a lot of demand comes the lack of grocery stores. Walgreens especially is almost just a terrible tiny supermarket with no produce.

ardecila · #**1845** Posted **Mar 2, 2011, 9:23 PM**

^^ Exactly. People go there for snacks, drinks, and other food products, largely because the neighborhood places have terrible hours or are ridiculously sketchy.

FrenchTwins · #**1846** Posted **Mar 3, 2011, 2:43 AM**

HANO official: Iberville makeover a certainty even without federal aid

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.s.../post_384.html

This is good news that they are motivated to complete redevelopment. I am however skeptical because of the fact that BW Cooper from my understanding is still stalled. I think there's a possibility of that area of Canal becoming more upscale than lower Canal near the quarter if this place is redone correctly. With the BioInnovation center, senior housing in the texaco(?) midrise building next to it, 1031 Canal, Loyola Avenue developments, Saenger, loyola and rampart street cars, and then of course the hospitals, this area is going to be very different in ten years.

Whats everybody's thought's on the retail / shopping area thing they were proposing with it? I think south market is going to get off the ground first and could steal a lot of chains from this development.

WesternSon · #**1847** Posted **Mar 3, 2011, 3:19 AM**

I think the South Market District is after a different type of retail mix. Boutique, experience stores, speciality retailers seem to be more of their scope.

From what little I've heard about the retail they were after at the proposed redevelopment I think they are looking for more essential retailers that aren't in Orleans Parish. Target, Best Buy things like that. My .02, I don't know though.

I doubt if there are that many retailers dying to get into Orleans Parish that aren't already here. And when you include space that might be available one day at the Power Plant (fingers crossed that happens), I don't know if any of this ideas really have the demand to be truly feasible.

Good news about the resoluteness of HANO to get this done. I think Mitch is gonna make a deal with the city, and Black community specifically, let me clean up Iberville, keep Jesse Jackson at bay and I'll take down the interstate.

tennis1400 · #**1848** Posted **Mar 3, 2011, 3:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WesternSon

I think the South Market District is after a different type of retail mix. Boutique, experience stores, speciality retailers seem to be more of their scope.

From what little I've heard about the retail they were after at the proposed redevelopment I think they are looking for more essential retailers that aren't in Orleans Parish. Target, Best Buy things like that. My .02, I don't know though.

I doubt if there are that many retailers dying to get into Orleans Parish that aren't already here. And when you include space that might be available one day at the Power Plant (fingers crossed that happens), I don't know if any of this ideas really have the demand to be truly feasible.

Good news about the resoluteness of HANO to get this done. I think Mitch is gonna make a deal with the city, and Black community specifically, let me clean up Iberville, keep Jesse Jackson at bay and I'll take down the interstate.

Does anyone even care about Jesse Jackson anymore? But yeah I agree I think what retailers are looking for in New Orleans is a critical mass of stores to locate near. thats always been the issue finding an area large enough to support it all and not be in New Orleans East.

Three new projects that showed up on bidclerk.

[New project.] 1458597 New Orleans, LA Medical 03/03/2011

Description Renovation of a medical facility in New Orleans. Completed working drawings call for the renovation of a 237,500-square-foot medical office which will include office space and exam rooms. All trades are let....Click here for complete Project Details

[New project.] 1475765 New Orleans, LA Medical 03/03/2011

Description Renovation of a medical facility in New Orleans. Completed working drawings call for the renovation of a 53,493-square-foot medical building which will include office space and exam rooms. All trades are let....Click here for complete Project Details

New Orleans Mental Health Center (Hurricane Rebuild)(RE-BID)
200600912247 v. 32
Dodge Project Report, Plans, Specs and Addenda
Clinic/Medical Office GC Bidding $2,940,000 LA (Orleans)

tennis1400 · #**1849** Posted **Mar 4, 2011, 7:50 PM**

TEM: Pallas Hotel Abatement & Demolition Package G
Dodge Report #201100442862 v. 2

Location: LA (Orleans) See More Like This
Valuation: $6,000,000
Bid Date: Mar 31, 2011

Orleans Louisiana Hazardous Waste Disposal Construction Project
Project Type: Hotel/Motel, Hazardous Waste Disposal
Stage: Bidding
Ownership: Public See More Like This
Type of Work: Alterations

Is this a typo and its actually for the Palace Hotel which is on the University Medical Center footprint?

ardecila · #**1850** Posted **Mar 5, 2011, 1:22 AM**

Yeah, pretty sure. I don't think we have any hotels in New Orleans named after obscure Greek goddesses (although we do have streets...)

tennis1400 · #**1851** Posted **Mar 5, 2011, 5:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila

Yeah, pretty sure. I don't think we have any hotels in New Orleans named after obscure Greek goddesses (although we do have streets...)

I agree. BTW maybe some time after Mardi Gras we can have a real world get together for members in this forum. Would be kind of neat to meet everyone.

sguil1 · #**1852** Posted **Mar 9, 2011, 3:32 AM**

Vacant Jax Brewery spaces begin to fill

Since Virgin Records fled New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, a large portion of the Jax Brewery building in the French Quarter has sat unused. But a variety of new tenants set to open in the coming months are looking to bring life and commerce back to the landmark structure. Two weeks ago, a CVS drug store opened ...

http://neworleanscitybusiness.com/bl...begin-to-fill/

Can't get the whole article.

nolanola · #**1853** Posted **Mar 9, 2011, 1:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sguil1

Vacant Jax Brewery spaces begin to fill

The other spot is going to be a nightclub of some sort.

tennis1400 · #**1854** Posted **Mar 9, 2011, 4:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by nolanola

The other spot is going to be a nightclub of some sort.

I remember after Planet Hollywood closed back in the day the space became Club Mardi Gras...

ardecila · #**1855** Posted **Mar 10, 2011, 3:33 AM**

Another interesting tidbit from CityBusiness...

Quote:

New Orleans' Market Street redevelopment must balance local and tourist appeal for success
March 1, 2011
By Jennifer Larino

Developers behind the project envision a super-regional retail center with restaurants and a riverfront park. They hinted earlier this year that they were close to signing outdoor retail behemoth Bass Pro Shops as an anchor tenant.

Perhaps the Market Street power plant redevelopment's greatest advantage in reversing that fate is the space developers have to work with. The Shops at Canal Place on Canal Street and The Shops at Jax Brewery on Decatur Street were developed on 3-acre and half-acre lots, respectively. The Market Street power plant sits on 11 acres.

Project director Michael Ullian said more space means more room to address accessibility, the very element New Orleans downtown retail centers lack. He points to Riverwalk Marketplace, a long, enclosed tunnel of stores embedded downtown where parking is limited and costs money. That, he said, turns locals away.

"A person going to the Gap for T-shirt and shorts wants to get in and get out, they don't want to have to walk through a whole tunnel," Ullian said. "It has to be convenient. If you can't get in and get out quickly, you're not going. "

Ullian said redevelopment plans emphasize well-lit and open parking and open-air storefronts. A riverfront park on unused wharves could provide a common area.

"We can't just plop down big boxes in a sea of parking," said Ullian, noting the vision is similar to The Grove in Los Angeles, an open-air retail center with brand name retailers ranging from Nike to Coach, restaurants, a movie theater and its own trolley line.

Accessibility to Market Street will reinforce a retail mix of premium, brand name retail chains, he said.

"You've got to be very careful as you move down through this whole process and make sure (the development) is sprinkled with stores that people really go to on a regular basis," Ullian said.

I'm not sure how to reconcile Ullian's comments about nobody wanting to "walk though a tunnel" and "well-lit, open parking" with his comparison to The Grove, which has only one large garage.

As I've mentioned before, Ullian also led the effort to build Midtown Miami, which is excellent... exactly what Market Street needs to be. A strong retail mix lifestyle center combined with mid-rise housing and public space, with lots of parking that is artfully integrated into the development. Everything is well-designed.

There are plenty of similar developments in other cities, but many of those involve underground parking - not really an option in New Orleans unless Ullian can con the city into picking up the massive tab.

WesternSon · #**1856** Posted **Mar 10, 2011, 4:37 AM**

I pretty much agree with everything he said. I haven't seen either the LA or Miami development, both look nice from a quick google image search. Most importantly they actually exist! Looks like this might actually happen.

I think the double speak about parking is code for "people can't think under any circumstance they will get mugged". Irrational/rational fear you have to deal with any development in NOLA. Especially when your target market is tahoe driving suburbanites from Slidell.

Now that I know this guy and Bass Pro Shop (shady public financing and all) are in the drivers seat I am ready to see this project take shape.

From my office I can see the power plant and the site of the south market district- I am ready for some action!!

ardecila · #**1857** Posted **Mar 10, 2011, 6:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WesternSon

I think the double speak about parking is code for "people can't think under any circumstance they will get mugged". Irrational/rational fear you have to deal with any development in NOLA. Especially when your target market is tahoe driving suburbanites from Slidell

I agree with you about the safety concern - Riverwalk is isolated from the rest of the city by parking lots, hotel podiums, and the world's most inconveniently-placed rail line. It's downright creepy how empty that mall is, and there's nothing good to buy there. I've only ever bought things at the Foot Locker. I don't drive, but the parking doesn't look very convenient or well-planned.

I doubt the Market Street developers are trying to attract people from Slidell, though. They're trying to attract people living in the city who currently go out to Oakwood or the Vets strip to buy the things they need. People in Slidell already have plenty of retail to serve them. Their only connection to the city is when they come downtown for Saints games, parades, or eating out.

Blitzen · #**1858** Posted **Mar 10, 2011, 6:45 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila

Riverwalk is isolated from the rest of the city by parking lots, hotel podiums, and the world's most inconveniently-placed rail line.

Agreed. The only way to resurrect the Riverwalk, in my opinion, is to densely develop that empty block of parking between the Convention Center and the Hilton garage (with the whales on it). That lot needs a free multi-story parking structure for the mall, highrise apartments/condos, ground level retail facing Convention Center Blvd., and maybe another hotel (which I saw included in the "Reinventing the Crescent" proposals). And the whole thing should cross over the railroad tracks and connect up with the mall. If they really wanted to invest the money, demolish the smaller Hilton parking garages, and build one massive free parking garage across lots.

With this mixture, I could see a critical mass of people and interest coming to the Riverwalk, locals shopping there without the excuse of not wanting to pay to park, and tourists making their way onto that side of Poydras Street as well.

camkazaam · #**1859** Posted **Mar 10, 2011, 3:45 PM**

As a child of the '80s, I think it's sad how Riverwalk and Jax Brewery completely declined. Jax at least has the potential to be put back to good use -- due to its location and historical architecture -- but what about Riverwalk? In its heydey, it was an exciting place to go (at least for an 8 year old). But now... I think it's too dark and closed off. It's too much of a poorly-adapted suburban mall. I'm worried it might wind up being a situation where tearing it down is the best option. Or what if it's opened up more? All the stores on the riverside could be torn out and replaced by more balconies and windows along the river. That would halve the amount of retail space, potentially increasing demand.

tennis1400 · #**1860** Posted **Mar 10, 2011, 4:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by camkazaam

As a child of the '80s, I think it's sad how Riverwalk and Jax Brewery completely declined. Jax at least has the potential to be put back to good use -- due to its location and historical architecture -- but what about Riverwalk? In its heydey, it was an exciting place to go (at least for an 8 year old). But now... I think it's too dark and closed off. It's too much of a poorly-adapted suburban mall. I'm worried it might wind up being a situation where tearing it down is the best option. Or what if it's opened up more? All the stores on the riverside could be torn out and replaced by more balconies and windows along the river. That would halve the amount of retail space, potentially increasing demand.

Everything about the Riverwalk and the Hilton too is a product of poor urban design that happened everywhere in the late 70s-early 80s.... a time when cities and their streets were looked at as things to be barricaded from. The Riverwalk will be torn down and whatever replaces it will be on river level and mostly open air. Another crusie terminal is probably most likely and also a better connection to convention center boulevard. However, Canal Place, Riverwalk etc will suffer from Iberville redevelopment, Market Street, and South Market District. These new areas will be better suited for locals and thats the difference. Locals want something geared towards their needs as opposed to a tshirt shop selling 10$ bags of Zappes chips. I imagine the future redevelopment of this particular area will be dictated by what happens with reinventing the crescent and whatever replaces the world trade center. Ive always thought the problems with each from an urban planning perspective affect the success of each other. Solving all three together is crucial to the success of all of it!